Opportunities for Prefabricated Buildings (PB’s) in Pakistan: Lessons from China

Abstract

This research compares prefabricated building (PB’s) practices in Pakistan and China, focusing on opportunities for Pakistan to adopt prefabrication as a sustainable and cost-effective construction approach. By analyzing China's advancements in prefabricated construction, the study identifies strategies that can be adapted to Pakistan's context. Where it traces the development of prefabrication in both countries, highlighting China’s achievement in industrialized construction and contrasting it with Pakistan’s continued reliance on conventional methods, in Pakistan prefabrication is still in its experimental and initial stage. This research work focuses on the potential of prefabrication in Pakistan to reduce construction time, material waste, and cost and enhance environmental sustainability. This research work highlights the tourism sector, suggesting that eco-friendly and green prefabricated dwellings in Pakistan’s colder regions could support sustainable tourism while preserving natural landscapes and context. Recommendations include the implementation of supportive regulations, the promotion of local manufacturing, and the fostering of partnerships between government, academia, and industry to modernize Pakistan’s construction sector to promote green prefabrication and a more sustainable built environment.